bothie. And at night, when the only stir in the forest was that of the
leaves whispering to the Secret People, Gilveen arose from where she lay
and came to the other bothie and whispered Flann's name. He awakened,
and thinking that Morag had come back to him (he had been dreaming of
her), he put out his arms, drew Gilveen to him and kissed her. Then
Gilveen ran back to her own bothie. And Flann did not know whether he
had awakened or whether he had remained in a dream.

But when he arose the next morning no thought of Morag was in his
mind. And when the King's Son rode with Fedelma he rode with Gilveen.
Afterwards Gilveen gave him a drink that enchanted him, so that he
thought of her night and day.

Neither Fedelma nor the King's Son knew what had come over Flann. They
mentioned the name he had spoken of so often--Morag's name but it seemed
as if it had no meaning for him. At noon they halted to bide until the
Queen came with or without her seven brothers. Flann and Gilveen were
always together. And always Gilveen was smiling.

III

When Caintigern had come, when she knew her son Flann, and when it was
known to her and to the Spae-Woman that the token Morag had given him
held the seven drops of heart's blood that would bring back to their
own forms the seven wild geese that were Caintigern's brothers--when
all this was known the Spae-Woman sent her most secret messenger to the
marshes to give word to the seven wild geese that they were to fly to
her house on the night when the moon was full. Her messenger was the
corncrake. She traveled night and day, running swiftly through the
meadows. She hid on the edge of the marshes and craked out her message
to the seven wild geese. At last they heard what she said. On the day
before the night of the full moon they flew, the seven together, towards
the Spae-Woman's house.

No one was in the house but Caintigern the Queen. The door was left
open to the light of the moon. The seven wild geese flew down and stayed
outside the door, moving their heads and wings in the full moonlight.

Then Caintigern arose and took bread that the Spae-Woman had made. She
moistened it in her mouth, and into each bit of moistened bread she put
a piece of the handkerchief that had a drop of blood. She held out
her hand, giving each the moistened bread. The first that ate it fell
forward on the floor of the Spae-Woman's house, his head down on the
ground. His sister saw him then as a kneeling